Catch for use in detachably securing the ends of bracelets, chains, and other articles together



A. MICALLEF Filed May 9, 1955 CATCH FOR USE IN DETACHABLY SECURING THE ENDS OF BRACELETS, CHAINS, AND OTHER ARTICLES TOGETHER Nov. 9, T937 Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNlTED STATES geil PATENT FFECE CATCH FOR USE IN DETACHABLY SECUR- ING THE ENDS F BRACELETS, CHAINS, AND OTHER ARTICLES TOGETHER 2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in spring catches for use in detachably securing the ends of bracelets, chains and other articles together. It is preferably constructed in a form to detachably secure the ends of flat articles together, such as a bracelet made out of pierced flat members hingedly secured together, after said bracelet has been laid around the wrist.

An object of my invention is to provide a catch for use in detachably securing the ends of said articles together, the prong portion of which may be an integral part of, or be rigidly attached to an adjacent flat article portion and the compartment portion of which may be rigidly attached to an adjacent fiat article portion, preferably rigidly attached in such a manner that the catch itself may appear to be a component part of the adjacent flat members and which is so designed to be of such small proportions as not to interfere with the pierced or other designs on the flat adjacent portions of the bracelet or article.

A further object of my invention is to provide a spring catch, sure and positive in its action and constructed of a minimum number of parts.

A further object of my invention is to provide a spring catch which will automatically lock, be permanently retained in locked position by a spring and which may be readily and easily detached after depression of the slide member thereof.

A further object of my invention is to provide a catch means which will permit pivoting between the parts thereof in a locked position in order to readily bend around the wrist.

These and such other objects of my invention as may hereinafter appear will be bestI understood from a description of the accompanying drawing which illustrates an embodiment thereof.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved spring catch in locked position with both the prong means and compartment portion thereof rigidly attached to the adjacent flat bracelet portions.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the parts of my invention shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the parts of my invention shown in Fig. 1 with the prongs detached from the compartment portion.

Fig. 4 is a vertical, longitudinal sectional View taken along the line Ll-ll of Fig. 3 through the compartment member.

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Fig. 4 through the compartment member, showing in sectional elevation the prong means of my invention immediately adjacent thereto and about to be inserted within the slots of the compartment portion.

In the drawing, wherein like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout, Ill generally indicates a spring catch constructed in ac- 5 cordance with my invention, as stated adapted for use in detachably securing the ends of bracelets, chains or other preferably flat articles together, comprising prong means I2 and a compartment member I4. As stated hitherto, my invention is 1o particularly adapted for use in. bracelets, having flat pierced or otherwise ornamented portions hinged together to make up the bracelet, or other solid portions immediately adjacent the catch I0 and as shown in my preferred embodiment l5 includes the rprong means I2, rigidly projecting from one end I6 of a flat article, and the compartment member I4 of my invention having the inner vertical edge 20 thereof integrally attached to the other end 22 of the bracelet or other Ilat article, each end I 6 and 22 in the embodiment shown comprising the flat members I6 and 22 of a bracelet each having respectively, the prong means I2 and compartment member I4 integrally attached thereto. 25

In the preferred embodiment of my invention shown, I provide two flat prong means I2, each vertically spaced from the other and rigidly projecting from the end I6 of said fiat article, rst outwardly as rat 24 substantially in the plane 3 thereof and then substantially at right angles forwardly as at 26 and with the front 28 thereof terminating in a cam surface 30 inclined rearwardly from the top to bottom. Each forwardly projecting portion 26 is also provided with an 35 indentation in a horizontal edge thereof, in my preferred embodiment the indentation 32 in the bottom edge thereof. The other cooperating portion of my invention rigidly attached to the opposite end 22 of said bracelet comprises in. the.v em- 40 bodiment shown an oblong hollow compartment member I4 having the inner vertical edge 20 thereof rigidly secured by solder or by other means to said end 22 of said bracelet to integrally project therefrom, it being obvious that if de- 45 sired the entire at portion 22 of the bracelet and the compartment member It may be stamped or molded from flat stock and the compartment member formed by bending the ends and edges thereof over to form said compartment member 50 I4. Said compartment member Ill is provided with slot means 36 in a vertical wall thereof, in the embodiment shown the aligned slot means 36 and 31 in the rear and front Walls thereof similarly spaced to receive the forwardly projecting partment member and of a size to substantially.

fill the center and one end of said compartment, in my preferred embodiment the center and upper end of the compartment 44 of said hollow oblong compartment member I4. In the preferred embodiment shown, said slide member `42 is provided with an aligning lug 46 projecting verti-` cally therefrom, in my preferred embodiment the aligning lug 46 projecting vertically down-. wardly centrally thereof. Said slide member 42w is also provided with slot means 48, in my preferred embodiment similarly vertically spaced to said prongs I2 and compartment slots 36 and 31. To permit the automatic locking of my improved prong means I2 within said compartment member I4, I provide the rear portions 50 of said slide immediately adjacent saidslot' means 48, in my preferred embodiment immediately below said slot means, with outwardly, in my preferred embodiment downwardly tapered cam surfaces 52 adapted to cooperate with the cam surfaces 3Q on said prong ends 28 on insertion of said prong means l2 through said compartment slots 36 to abut the adjacent'portions of -said slide member 42 to cause vertical movement of said slide member 42, to align the slot means48 therein with the slot means 36 and 31 in said compartment member to permit the prong means 26 to pass through said then aligned slot means 36, 48 and 31 for locking purposes. Said slide member 42 is also provided with an extension 54 projecting vertically, in my preferred embodiment upwardly through the compartment holev 38, said extension 54 being substantially the height of the desired vertical movement of the slide 42.

. To normally urge the slide 42 to bring the por-v tions 58 thereof within the indentations 32 of said prong means, I provide the spring lmeans 56 having one end thereof adapted to abuta compartment end and the other end thereof vadapted to abut a slide member end, in my preferred embodiment the spring 56 comprising a coil spring mounted in the lower portion of the compartment 44 to have the lower end thereof rest on `the compartment bottom 58 and the upper end thereof surround said slide member aligning lug 46 and abut the bottom surface 60 of said slide member.

It is thus apparent that with this construction and employing the cooperating cams 30 and 52 on the respective prong ends 28 andslide portions 58 that as shown in Fig. 5 on insertion of the prong ends 28 through the compartment slots 36, the cam surfaces 30 will abut the cam surfaces 52 on the slide and cause downward vmovement of the slide 42 compressing the spring 56 until the forwardly projecting portions 26 of the prong means are completely inserted within the aligned slot means 36 and 31 in the rear and front of said compartment member I4 and the aligned slot means 48 in said thus depressed slide member 42 until the front ends 28 of said prong means project through said compartment mem.- ber and the portions 50 of said slide member 42 are free under pressure ofthe spring means 56 to slide upwardly intofthe indentations 32 in the lower surface of said prong means .I2 to se-k curely lock said prong means within said compartment member.

To release the portions 56 of said slide from within the indentations 32 of said prong means partment slot means 36 and 31 to permit ready withdrawal of said prong means I2 from said aligned slot means 36, 31 and 48 and thus from said compartment member I4. It is apparent ythat if desired, the cam surfaces 33 on the end of the-prong ,means I2 and the cam surface 52 on the rear surface of the portions 56 of said slide i means may be dispensed with, in which case in orderrto secure the prong means I2 within the compartment member I4, it will be necessary to depress the extension 54 to depress said slide 42 to bring the aligned slot means 48 thereof into alignment with the aligned slot means 36 and 31 on the front and rear of said compartment member I4 when said prong means may be readily inserted within said aligned slots and after insertion thereof pressure may be released on the slide extension 54 permitting the spring means to raise said slide member 42 to permit the portions 50 thereof to slide into the indentations 32 of said prong means I2. While I have shown the spring means 56 as being mounted on the' lower portion of the compartment member I4, it is obvious that it may be mounted in the upper portion of the compartment member I4, the extension 54, hole 38, indentations 32, cam mea-ns 3!) and 52 being correspondingly reversed and if desired, it is also obvious that the prong means may be straight throughout and inserted laterally within the compartment member I4.

It is apparent, therefore, that I have provided a novel type of spring catch, particularly adapted in detachably securing the ends of bracelets, chains and other preferably flat articles together constructed of a minimum number of simple parts, positive in its action and which may be readily mounted on the ends of articles and be of such aY small size as not to interfere in any Y manner with the symmetry of design thereof and with the other advantages explained above.

It is understood that my invention is not limited to the specific embodiment shown and that various deviations may be made therefrom without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A spring catch for use in detachably securing the ends of bracelets, chains and other at articles together comprising vertically spaced flat prong means, each rigidly projecting from one end of said flat article first in the plane thereof and then substantially at right angles forwardly and with the front end thereof terminating in a cam surface inclined from top to bottom and provided with an indentation in a horizontal edge thereof and an oblong hollow compartment member having the inner vertical edge thereof rigidly secured to the other article end, Vand having slot means in the rear wall thereof similarly spaced to receive said prong means and a hole in a horizontal wall thereof, a flat slide member vertically slidably mounted in and substantially filling the center portion of said compartment and one end of said slide having an aligning lug projecting vertically centrally thereof, slot means therein similarly vertically spaced to said prong means and compartment slot means, the rear portions of said slide member immediately vertically adjacent said slot means having cam surfaces tapered toward said slot means and an extension projecting vertically through said compartment hole substantially the height of the desired vertical movement of said slide member and spring means mounted in the other end of said compartment to surround said slide member aligning lug and abut the adjacent slide surface Whereby on depression of said slide extension said spring means may be compressed to permit alignment of said slide member slot means with said compartment slot means to npermit Withdrawal of said prong means therefrom and on release of pressure from said slide member eX- tension said spring means may urge said slide member vertically to cause the portions of said slide immediately vertically adjacent said slide member slot means to t into said prong means indentations to retain said article ends together and said prong means cam surfaces may function With said slide member cam surfaces to permit the automatic insertion of said prong means Within said then aligned slot means against the pressure of said spring means.

2. A spring catch for use in detachably securing the ends of bracelets, chains and other articles together comprising a prong rigidly projecting from one end of said article first in the plane thereof and then substantially at right angles and provided with an indentation in a horizontal edge-'thereof and a hollow compartment member having the inner vertical edge thereof rigidly secured to the other article end, and having slot means in the rear Wall thereof to receive said prong means and a hole in the horizontal Wall thereof, a slide member vertically slidably mounted in said compartment having slot means therein and an extension projecting vertically through said compartment hole substantially the height of the desired vertical movement of said slide and spring means vertically mounted in said compartment to abut the adjacent slide member surface whereby on depression of said slide member extension said spring means may be compressed to permit alignment of said slide member slot means with said compartment slot means to permit withdrawal of said prong means therefrom and on release of pressure from said slide member extension said spring means may urge said slide member vertically to cause the portion of said slide immediately below said slide member r slot means to it into said prong means indentation means to retain said article ends together.

ARTHUR MICALLEF. 

